The league tables published by The Guardian and Times Higher Education are a reasonable indicator of the strength of a university in a given subject. Not the be-all and end-all, but a good indicator.

As for the cost of living, I'd recommend a few things: * Look for places that are coastal, Northern, or too far from London for commuters (or any combination thereof). Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Swansea, etc. * Rent privately with others. This comes with some downsides, but it will be much cheaper than university accommodation. Even in cheaper cities, the cost of a lot of university-managed accommodation is so absurdly high that I can only call it a scam, and you won't get a lot for your money. * Food is pretty cheap in the UK, but it's cheapest if you go to Aldi or Lidl. * Get a 16-35 or 25-30 Railcard to knock 1/3 off of most rail fares. If you ever take a long-distance trip outside of term time, it will likely pay for itself. * Always ask for student discount! There are several different schemes in the UK so sign up to all of them.